Door-fastener.



. E. J. WIRFS.

DOOR PASTBNER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.18,1910.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

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EDWARD J. WIRES, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

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Specification 0! Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

Application filed April 18, 1910. Serial No. 556,099.

7b all w/mm it may concern:

lie it known that l, Enwanu J. \Vinrs a citizen of the tfnited States of America, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of 'lenncssee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Doorlastem-rs. of which the following is a full, clear. and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a door fastener that is more particularly adapted for use on refrigerator doors.

The object of this invention is to produce an efficient door fastener t-hat can be very easily operated and which, when the door is closed, will automatically force the door firmly against its seat.

Figure I is a front elevation of portions of a refrigerator provided with my door fastener. Fig. II is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. I; and Fig; ill is a horizontal section, partlyin elevation, the front wall of the refrigerator and the door being partly broken out.

In the accompanying drawings designates a portion of the front wall of the re frigerator and B a door for closing the doorway in said wall. t

l designates a plate secured to the door by suitable means, such as screw-s and which as is also the door, is provided with an aperture through which extends a rock shaft 2.

3 is an operating handle secured to the inner end of the rock shaft arid-4 is a huh rigidly mounted-on the rock shaft at its outer end. The hub t carries .an operating handle 5 by which the rhek shaft 2 may be rotated, and it also carries a latch arm 6 that extends laterally from the hub and projects beyond the edge-of the refrigerator door.

7 is a coil spring Sui-mounting the latch arm 6 and interposed between it and a spring seat twerhanging member 8, extending outwardly from the upper end of the p ate 1,

7 which is preferably integral with said late.

9 is a depending spring holding ro that is surrounded by the spring 7, the-upper end of the rod being secured to the spring seat member 8 by a pin 10, while the lower end of the rod occupies an aperture in the latch arm 6 that is of sufficient dimensions to per- .mit upward and downward movements of the latch arm, without the rod 9 interfering with such movements. The spring 7 exerts a constant downward pressure upon the latch arm (3 and to lnnit the degree to which said latcharm isdepressed under the influenee of said spring, I pr'ovide the latch arm at its rearslde with a stop lug (5 that is adapted to engage a stop lug 1." upon the face of the plate 1: The latch arm (3 terminates in a downwardly extending fork member in which rotatably mounted a roller 12.

11 designates a keeper secured to the from; I

wall of the refrigerator, and provided with a socket 11 that isadapted to. receine'the roller of the latch arm, and at the forward end of the keeper is an arm having anu wardly inclined face 13 thatdetids wt to socket in the keeper and'is adapted to he -traversed by the roller of the latch arm when the refrigerator door is being 'closcd and the roller of the latch arm is movin to the socket of the keeper to become seate therein. As will be seen by reference to the drawings, particularly to Ei'gs. I and III, the roller 1'2 has-a periphery that is curved longitudinally and eoi'ist-(piently oulya minimum of peripheral surface. of the roller is presented to the keeper of my door fastener when it is riding, upon the inclined face of the keeper, and consequently there is a minimum of friction between the roller and said inclined face,. due to which the roller is caused to travel to the socket of the keeper with much greater ease of movement than would be possible in the use ofa roller having a flat periphery. Y

In the practical use of my door fastener. it is unnecessary by reason of the ease of movement of the parts incorporated therein to operate either of the handles associated with the rock shaft of the fastener in the act of closing the refrigerator door, inasmuch as when pressure is exerted against the door itself, or a nick push is given to it, the roller in the atch arm rides readily up the inclined face 13 of the keeper 11, causing the latch arm to be elevated against the action of the controlling spring 9 and when the roller has reached the front upper end of the socket in the keeper, it readily descends into said socket and is forced to its seat therein under the influence of thecontrolling spring. The front wall of the socket in the keeper is inclined downwardly and rearwardly, (as seen at 14 Figs. II and 1H,) and therefore when the roller descends into the socket, it moves rearwardly and stops between the ends of said inclined iace,

- with the result of causing the refrigerator door to be carried firmly to its seat against the front wall of the refrigerator. As the ener in the spring is relied on to actuate the: etch arm 6 in forcing the-door to its seat, 1t is very important that friction-which would resist the movement of said latch arm be eliminated as-much as possible.

A ball bearinglzi is therefore interposed between thelatch arm and the (plate 1. bearin n assisting to re uce the frictionbetween t a hub 4that carries the latch arm 6 and the door plate back of it makes it possible for the latch arm to swing with such freedom'of movement when it engages the with a minimum degreeof 2'5 over, keeper 11 with the greatest ease when either This ball of the handles 5 or 3 are operated to rotate the rock shaft 2 and elevate the latch arm in order that itmay be withdrawn from the keeper..

I claim 1. In a door fastener, 21 pivotally mounted latch arm, a rod surmountlng said latch arm and loosely seated in the latch arm, a springserving to depress surrounding said rod and the latch-arm, and a keeper adapted to receive the free end of said latch arm.

" 2. Ina door fastener, the combination of a door plate provided at its upper end with a spring seat member, a latch arm pivotally fitted to said door plate, a rod mounted at its upper end in said spring and loosely fitted at its lower end in said latch arm, a spring surrounding said rod and interposed between said arm and said spring seat member, and a keeper adapted to receive the free end of said latch'arm.

EDWARD J, Wmrs'.

In the presence or- W. D. Bmoorox'rn', J. A.,ANnn RsoN'.

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